The statement came at the request of Alejandro García Padilla, governor of the USA commonwealth, where the Zika virus is spreading rapidly, threatening hundreds of pregnant women and their unborn babies and women of childbearing age.
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The virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes, but can also be transmitted by sexual contact, prompting publicp health officials to advise that people who have been infected refrain from unprotected sex for several months.
The newest statistics were released a day after the USA surgeon general visited Puerto Rico and said he expected 25 percent of people on the island will be infected by Zika by year’s end.
In February, state health officials confirmed the first case of the Zika virus in MI.
It’s Canada’s second case of maternal-to-fetal transmission of the virus, which has been linked to the birth defect microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads.
United States health authorities on Friday declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico due to the outbreak of Zika, which has now infected more than 10,000 people.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information on mosquito-borne diseases.
The declaration allows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to award grants, access emergency funds and temporarily appoint personnel where needed, among other things.
HHS made the declaration at the request of Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla.
Angela Minicuci with the state Health Department said there have been over 20 diagnosed cases in MI so far, but none have been contracted within the state. On Friday, the state said three more people had become infected by local mosquitoes, bringing the total of infections to 28.
Pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant should avoid travel to areas with Zika transmission.
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The Obama administration said Thursday that it will transfer $81 million from existing federal health programs so there’s enough money to continue trials of a Zika vaccine.
